Progress in the Brazilian cattle industry: an analysis of the Agricultural Censuses database
P. M. Meyer A C and P. H. M. Rodrigues BA Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics/IBGE, Pirassununga/SP-13630-095, Brazil.
B University of São Paulo/USP-FMVZ, Pirassununga/SP, 13635-900, Brazil.
C Corresponding author. Email: paula.meyer@ibge.gov.br
Animal Production Science 54(9) 1338-1344 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN14280
Submitted: 13 March 2014 Accepted: 27 May 2014 Published: 14 July 2014
Abstract
Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef and home to the world’s biggest commercial beef herd. So a study was conducted to understand how the Brazilian cattle industry has developed, by analysing the Agricultural Censuses carried out in 1985, 1995 and 2006. Databases (per region) were collected: bovine herd, total pasture area (natural and cultivated) and forage storage silos, and the stocking rate calculated (heads/ha). Brazilian regions are: North, North-east, South-east, South and Midwest. The average annual growth rate (%/year) was calculated. In 1985, Brazil had 128 million bovine heads, raised on 179.2 million hectares of pasture (0.71 head/ha). In 2006, the bovine herd went up to 176.1 million heads, raised on 160 million hectares of pasture (1.1 head/ha). The North region (Amazon forest) showed the highest growth in bovine herd (6.3%/year), and in total (1.2%/year) and cultivated (4.0%/year) pasture areas, increasing the stocking rate from 0.43 (1985) up to 1.21 head/ha (2006). The Midwest region accounted for the largest bovine herd in 2006 and showed the second highest growth in herd size (2.4%/year) and in cultivated (1.9%/year) pasture area, increasing the stocking rate from 0.61 (1985) up to 1.01 head/ha (2006). The South-east and South regions (the most developed regions) presented negative growth in herd size and total pasture, but with the highest stocking rate in 2006 (1.24 and 1.5 head/ha, respectively). The displacement of the cattle industry towards North concerns the government, due to the Amazon’s deforestation, but the intensification of the production system has relieved the pressure on the forest.
Additional keywords: Amazon, beef, bovine, evolution.
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